She's loud and outspoken. Markedly unattractive and overweight, in her mid 40s, she describes herself as having been in the ICU "forever." She's large and in charge, and everyone knows better than to argue with her because she's always right, and there's only way to do everything. An adult learner, she was a former waitress or CNA before "gettin' her RN" now attending an online-for profit school for her BSN or, more likely, refusing to further her education at all. She has been uplifted from a low income upbringing to "professional status" and for years has been drunk on an artificial sense of authority as an RN. Her particularly favorite hobbies include talking endlessly about her experience, describing the problems she has with "today's young nurses," and behaving rudely toward float nurses and travel nurses and medical interns just getting out of school because "they should know how to do all this without asking." She also makes frequent trips to the manager's office to pester and annoy.
I transitioned from my hospital's float pool to the medical ICU about 6 months ago, and we have one of these in my unit. I don't think I've ever met anyone with as rotten a personality as this individual. Luckily I have never been one of her targets.
"Anyone who takes a dump in the lounge bathroom is going to taste my shoe heel for a week! No one better be doing THAT." (Dictating the rules of the use of the staff bathroom, believing that any nurse or tech with the urge to empty their bowels need do so in a different part of the hospital)
"You could literally get FIRED for eating that. That's considered STEALING. That may have flown over on such and such floor, but not here!" (To a float nurse who didn't have time to break and took a package of two saltines to eat)
"Guys, you see that traveler Jen who started last week? She's always in her patients rooms, and you can never find her when you need help. It's because she has nothing to do so she stays in her patients rooms so she doesn't have to come out and help. Just watch you guys, that's how she's going to be all day." (Spoken at 730AM as being are just finishing getting report. Great way to start the day!)
Do you have (or are you one of) these dips running around in your unit? What do you think of these types? This person also orients people, thankfully on a very seldom basis because she's not a preceptor of choice. I have made reference to her in my other threads about bullies, and people have said she is not a bully.
What do you think? Use this thread to talk about "veteran bully queens of the ICU" or any med-surg floor.
~1500 bed hospital, with two campuses about a block from each other.
Thanks for the compliment, btw!
Wondered about the size of the facility because , usually this is small time stuff.
Disappointed to hear that a major facility does not recognize this bullying behavior. Then again, it depends on the viewpoint of the immediate management.
I was charge nurse on days. Evil witch from hell was the afternoon charge. I could NOT do enough , leave her shift well off enough.... to please Cruella.
( side note - the health system we worked at gave me a recognition award for excellence in leadership).
Cruella rarely took a patient assignment, sat the entire shift in a spot that even a doctor would not dare to sit in.
Cruella embraced witchcraft, wore jewelry and long nails that flaunted it.
I can't give any more details.. Cruella ended with an untimely death.
Guess the moral of this story is... what goes around.... comes around.
"She's loud and outspoken. Markedly unattractive and overweight, in her mid 40s, she describes herself as having been in the ICU "forever." She's large and in charge, and everyone knows better than to argue with her because she's always right, and there's only way to do everything. An adult learner, she was a former waitress or CNA before "gettin' her RN" now attending an online-for profit school for her BSN or, more likely, refusing to further her education at all. She has been uplifted from a low income upbringing to "professional status" and for years has been drunk on an artificial sense of authority as an RN. Her particularly favorite hobbies include talking endlessly about her experience, describing the problems she has with "today's young nurses," and behaving rudely toward float nurses and travel nurses and medical interns just getting out of school because "they should know how to do all this without asking." She also makes frequent trips to the manager's office to pester and annoy."
What I gathered from this description was, possibly, why this nurse is the way she is.
Perhaps, RNdynamic could have just described this nurse as "having poor self-esteem and power-hungry"... but it's not near as interesting without any of the possible reasons behind it.
So ... It's about creativity and poetic license? If so, the post was an epic fail. Any fourth-grader can make fun of some one's looks or draw a beard on the picture of a woman's face. No great creative accomplishment there.
And I guess we'll never find out how growing up poor causes bullying behavior.
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
Okay. Strip away all the debate about whether this nurse's appearance or upbringing has anything to do with her personality, and what you have is a nurse who can be found on almost any nursing unit, anywhere. We've all met her (him), and we've all suffered. They come from every background and in all sizes and shapes, and they are feared and dreaded by nurses all over the world. They are.....THE BULLY QUEENS. And I think we can all agree that they make nursing look bad and make life harder than it needs to be.
Behavior has consequences. The mockery of the co-worker's looks, class background, age and size was mean-spirited and childish - the behavior of a schoolyard bully.
If the OP is going to trash a co-worker for being a "queen bee bully" she should probably avoid behaving like one herself. And if she chooses to do so in public, she shouldn't be shocked at being called on it.
Sounds like you identify or overidentify with the bully in question. Nice try, with your attempt to turn it around. Sort of like how bullies do.
"She's loud and outspoken. Markedly unattractive and overweight, in her mid 40s, she describes herself as having been in the ICU "forever." She's large and in charge, and everyone knows better than to argue with her because she's always right, and there's only way to do everything. An adult learner, she was a former waitress or CNA before "gettin' her RN" now attending an online-for profit school for her BSN or, more likely, refusing to further her education at all. She has been uplifted from a low income upbringing to "professional status" and for years has been drunk on an artificial sense of authority as an RN. Her particularly favorite hobbies include talking endlessly about her experience, describing the problems she has with "today's young nurses," and behaving rudely toward float nurses and travel nurses and medical interns just getting out of school because "they should know how to do all this without asking." She also makes frequent trips to the manager's office to pester and annoy."
What I gathered from this description was, possibly, why this nurse is the way she is.
Perhaps, RNdynamic could have just described this nurse as "having poor self-esteem and power-hungry"... but it's not near as interesting without any of the possible reasons behind it.
I am very interested. Why would someone be like that? I have my theories. But no one ever wants to go into it. Instead, they justify these bully-queens as being "old fashioned" or "hard-headed battle axes" who in spite of their nastiness are somehow extraordinary caregivers. They are tough broads who deep inside are very compassionate. Meanwhile, I have heard this extraordinary battleaxe tell a delirious patient "Do NOT touch that foley again, or I will RESTRAIN you." Nice nursing!
Markedly unattractive and overweight, in her mid 40s, she describes herself as having been in the ICU "forever."
She's large and in charge, and everyone knows better than to argue with her because she's always right, and there's only way to do everything.
An adult learner, she was a former waitress or CNA before "gettin' her RN" now attending an online-for profit school for her BSN or, more likely, refusing to further her education at all.
She has been uplifted from a low income upbringing to "professional status" and for years has been drunk on an artificial sense of authority as an RN.
What do you think? Use this thread to talk about "veteran bully queens of the ICU" or any med-surg floor.
Yuk. I hope I never meet her in my mirror or in person.
This is a friendly forum where nurses can vent a bit and get some cyber hugs without worrying about getting flamed for being "politically incorrect" or having to dodge the grammar police. I found some of the description in the thread a bit more colorful than I would have chosen- but the sentiment was clear. I think it is a more important to give a -"wow, sorry you have to put up with that" , than flame out about unintended insults or writing that dosen't meet your standards when someone was just needing to vent. To RNdynamic: thanks for the thread. I often find a little more of myself in "vent" postings than I would like, and it helps to be reminded of how difficult us cranky old nurses can make everyone else's shift.
Hmmmm...seems as if many of the nurses whose behavior is described by the OP that I have met as of late are fresh, new, with all the latest and the greatest, designer scrubs, Mom and Dad footing the bill, enough special snowflaked-ness to plow, knows everything, can do it all, spends hours spinning without accomplishing much, will talk a good game to other nurses, MD's, families....looking for some recognition in their superior skills and life saving techniques.
And make fun of older, experienced nurses who would just like to keep their jobs intact.
The behavior that was described is over the top and out of control. But that can come from any nurse who is allowed to continue said behaviors. And that is on management.
Interestingly enough, being an nurse of 40 something, I am often taken aback as how useful my age group is to share general knowledge and skills, however, once learned one reverts back to trailer trash turned fake professional.
I absolutely agree that behavior as described is outrageous and uncalled for. But it can come from any nurse. The real question is why management puts up with it.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Hmmmm...seems as if many of the nurses whose behavior is described by the OP that I have met as of late are fresh, new, with all the latest and the greatest, designer scrubs, Mom and Dad footing the bill, enough special snowflaked-ness to plow, knows everything, can do it all, spends hours spinning without accomplishing much, will talk a good game to other nurses, MD's, families....looking for some recognition in their superior skills and life saving techniques.
And make fun of older, experienced nurses who would just like to keep their jobs intact.
The behavior that was described is over the top and out of control. But that can come from any nurse who is allowed to continue said behaviors. And that is on management.
Interestingly enough, being an nurse of 40 something, I am often taken aback as how useful my age group is to share general knowledge and skills, however, once learned one reverts back to trailer trash turned fake professional.
I absolutely agree that behavior as described is outrageous and uncalled for. But it can come from any nurse. The real question is why management puts up with it.
RNdynamic loves to be provocative and the controversy......
Hmmmm...seems as if many of the nurses whose behavior is described by the OP that I have met as of late are fresh, new, with all the latest and the greatest, designer scrubs, Mom and Dad footing the bill, enough special snowflaked-ness to plow, knows everything, can do it all, spends hours spinning without accomplishing much, will talk a good game to other nurses, MD's, families....looking for some recognition in their superior skills and life saving techniques.
And make fun of older, experienced nurses who would just like to keep their jobs intact.
The behavior that was described is over the top and out of control. But that can come from any nurse who is allowed to continue said behaviors. And that is on management.
Interestingly enough, being an nurse of 40 something, I am often taken aback as how useful my age group is to share general knowledge and skills, however, once learned one reverts back to trailer trash turned fake professional.
I absolutely agree that behavior as described is outrageous and uncalled for. But it can come from any nurse. The real question is why management puts up with it.
The behavior I described is specifically characteristic of nurses who have grown what people refer to as "comfortable" in their work setting. In my opinion, these are limited people. You will almost never see fresh new nurses as you put it behaving in the way I described, trying to rule over the unit, being afraid of new threats to their power structure, and so forth.
Also, I admire the attitude you describe in the new nurses. Try seeing the positive instead of being resentful toward them. The new graduate nurse's role today is more skilled, more technical, relies on a larger body of knowledge, than ever before. I applaud all of the new grads just getting off orientation in my unit. The more the merrier. They all rock, and they are fine the way they are. I know some people resent hearing this, but the young, new nurses are the ones who bring about change to the profession and they are truly the heart of nursing. New grads shouldn't change to the stale culture of their workplace. Instead, they should be actively encouraged to be agents of change.
I hope they continue to show their confidence, as they help nursing to progress more and more.
Been there,done that, ASN, RN
7,241 Posts
Wondered about the size of the facility because , usually this is small time stuff.
Disappointed to hear that a major facility does not recognize this bullying behavior. Then again, it depends on the viewpoint of the immediate management.
I was charge nurse on days. Evil witch from hell was the afternoon charge. I could NOT do enough , leave her shift well off enough.... to please Cruella.
( side note - the health system we worked at gave me a recognition award for excellence in leadership).
Cruella rarely took a patient assignment, sat the entire shift in a spot that even a doctor would not dare to sit in.
Cruella embraced witchcraft, wore jewelry and long nails that flaunted it.
I can't give any more details.. Cruella ended with an untimely death.
Guess the moral of this story is... what goes around.... comes around.